Beginner Guides from Tara Brach
Tara Brach is a psychologist and leader in the Insight Meditation community. She teaches the tools of insight (vipassana) meditation through her popular podcast, numerous courses, books, workshops and retreats. Her website offers several helpful resources for people who are new to meditation, including:
- Mindfulness Daily – a free 40-day online audio course to help to establish a mindfulness meditation practice. Each day offers a 10-15 minute lesson on meditation to guide your practice.
- How to Meditate (PDF) – Includes How to Establish a Daily Sitting Practice, Common Issues for Meditators, and guidance and resources for Sustaining a Meditation Practice over the long-haul.
- How to Meditate FAQ – This has similar content to the PDF above, but is presented in Q&A format that can be helpful. You can download this in PDF format or view it on a webpage.
- Beginner’s Meditation Kit – an introductory mini-course for those who prefer to learn through audio. It includes the written FAQ guide plus 2 guided audio meditations and a 2-part audio talk about “The Basic Elements of Meditation Practice.”
Want to get started right away?
Here are two handouts from TherapistAid.com to get you started:
- A 1-page handout with basic instructions for mindfulness meditation
- A 2-page handout with 5 different mindfulness exercises to practice between sessions